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Printer FriendlyReprinted with permission from Popular Mechanics, February
2000.
© Copyright The Hearst Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Thinner film improves chips
Electronic device makers are hopeful a new insulating material will improve the performance of electronic circuits.
Insulating materials are needed to isolate the current moving along the metal lines etched on silicon chips.
In present semiconductor designs, these conducting lines are so close that capacitance, or charge buildup, limits further shrinkage, say researchers the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash. Their approach has been to create a thinner, more porous silica film.
Researchers say it reduces capacitance by 50 percent. This will permit circuits to produce higher signal strengths and use less power.
Initially, the new silica will be used in making chips for cellphones.
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